Alright, been working on this chapter that wasn't supposed to be this long, but hey, this looks alright.

I am currently trying to get this trip to Fishman Island done in one chapter, so I'll be hopefully doing the next chapter a long-needed Elemental War update, focused on the Land of Waves. Yeah while some do not like them, it's part of the overall story that I'm working on and I refuse to let them fall because it's important.

I'll throw a bone at you guys, after Land of Waves - the next Elemental War Arc will be Konoha - so yeah, Spoiler Alert. But when this Arc will happen? That I will not say.

Enjoy this chapter and stay alert, comment/review on the story, and follow, we're close to that 2K followers/Favorites and I am all fired up.

Enjoy.

Sabaody

Back in the archipelago, the aftermath of the entire debacle was being cleaned up, with the scene of the crime where the Fake Straw Hats' attempted recruitment drive was held, left as a battlefield and loads and loads of wounded and burning fires.

"I told you I had no choice. Dark king Rayleigh stood in our way."

While observing the marines escorting the captured pirates away in handcuffs after they had surrendered, Sentomaru spoke through a snail phone to those of high command and gave a detailed report about the raid in Sabaody, with the results being non-satisfactory.

"How about you tell me the damage report, Sentomaru, because you mentioned something that needs double-checking in the report." The person on the other end of the call who spoke to Sentomaru asked.

Sentomaru sighed as he retold what he had encountered. "The Caribou Brothers and their crew escaped, alongside some of the Fake Straw Hats have vanished. The remaining pirates were eventually taken out by us, along with a few powerful ones, but not before the real Straw Hats seriously damaged two Pacifistas—one of which was the prototype that had faced the Straw Hats two years prior."

"One was destroyed - by Uzumaki's forces."

Turning his gaze to one of the behemoth Kuma lookalikes, the one with its head shot off clean was being salvaged and readied to be transported, clearly unsavable for now, with its parts all over the ground.

Sighing, Sentomaru responded through the transponder snail, "One is destroyed, yes."

"How many did you count?"

"We've lost several Marines, but mainly due to the pirates-"

"I mean, how many of Naruto's men were you able to count that were there on Sabaody?"

Sentomaru rubbed his neck on this, "I believe it was just four of them - including Uzumaki himself."

"That's bad."

"Huh? How is that bad?" Sentomaru asked, confused, "I don't follow."

"That means his entire force has likely already entered the New World. The Intel wasn't far off."

The fresh Marine took a minute to figure out before he also got the picture.

"That means-"

"Uzumaki is making his next move."

Already several hundred meters underneath the surface, the Thousand Sunny had fully submerged into the sea, with the ship and its crew making their way to Fishman Island.

As the fish of the water swam next to the ship in swarms, many different kinds of them streamed past the spectators who were fascinated by the amount of them they went by, Nico Robin was watching from where she sat, and it was a sight to behold.

"ACHOO!"

The loud sneezing interrupted the historian's moment as she turned to whoever it was, seeing it was Naruto, standing over at the mast pole helping the injured Luca down with the help of Reiser and Foster who held his shoulders as Chopper was escorting them.

"Easy, easy, his shoulder needs some resting." Chopper tried to tell them as he led them to his ward, "Let's go take a look inside, I got everything I need inside there."

Luca grunted and smiled, saying, "I know what I need, some liquor-"

"Not under my watch!" Chopper protested as he opened the door, "Now go!"

"You heard the doc, bring him in," Naruto said to his men as they followed the little reindeer inside the medical ward, "Try to keep Luca occupied without something to drink, will you?"

"We'll try," Fritz said while picking up Luca's weight. Foster did the same as they brought the guys inside and closed the door behind them. Naruto was handed the rifle and heard the sniper grunting and complaining about a bottle.

Once inside, Naruto held the large rifle with just one arm as he opened the chamber and saw the shell fall off, causing him to look at it in confusion before picking it up to analyze it.

"Huh, this is odd."

"...What is odd?" Usopp asked, cautiously approaching Naruto as he looked at the large rifle, "Something wrong with the…rifle…"

"I thought he used an explosive bullet or even an incendiary one, instead it was a regular," Naruto said turning his eyes back on the rifle and closing the bolt, "Looks like he did hit the ammo storage with a clean shot."

"M-May I?"

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed to the long-nosed guy, "Excuse me?"

Usopp had a look on his face like he had just seen a ghost and was fixated on the rifle that he pointed to, "C- Can I take a closer look?"

"Sure, it is not loaded anyway." Naruto said giving the rifle to him, "Just watch out, it's quiet-"

"Ah!"

Falling to the ground with the weight on his arms, Usopp was not prepared by the weight of the large anti-material rifle as he tried to slowly get back up just as Franky walked over to help him, the blue-haired cyborg also took notice of the weapon.

"Hey, isn't that an-"

"Yes! It is a Mauser Rifle!" Usopp said recognizing it, "The…the…"

"Tankgewehr," Naruto finished, showing the rifle to the two Straw Hats, and praising it, "Kinda heavy for the normal body but deadly as it comes, used these pieces in the Shinobi Continent."

"Anything you say?" Franky asked while taking the weapon into his giant hands, its weight was nothing to him, "I heard about these Mausers, but never seen one fired before."

"The only thing I can say is that you do not want to be on the opposite end of that barrel," Naruto said with a clear warning as he took the rifle back and held it in his arms, showing to them, "I've seen them take out anything from anything on wheels to those walking on two legs, and it ain't a pretty sight."

Usopp asked with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"If you survived a shot from this - you'd die a slow death while your insides are hanging out. If not your bones get crushed."

The way Naruto easily spoke about the gruesome effects of what that rifle could do caused Usopp to nearly pale while Franky just irked for a bit before they felt some lights shining on them, causing all three to look up.

The lights of the sun were going through the surface and the mangrove trees, making it more beautiful, with the Straw Hats and lone blond to watch in amazement the sight of this, right until Luffy and the green-haired swordsman attempted to try and get some of the fish, only to be hit in the back of their heads by the angry Usopp.

Naruto just watched the weird but lively bunch of the Straw Hat pirates interacting with each other, from the weird encounter of the blond cook's nose bleeding once again and shooting outside the bubble before being pulled back by Luffy, to Robin's descriptive way of talking of doom scenarios like they were normal, but it was Sanji's nosebleed that forced someone to yell:

"Chopper! Come quickly!"

In a matter of moments, the small doctor came out the door with a ridiculous amount of blood bags he injected them immediately into the cook, all while the Straw Hats surrounded him, Nami was seen explaining to the crew, especially to the easily frightened Usopp and Chopper about how the coating works, the dangers of what could destroy it, and the chances of survivability of how many ships attempted to reach the underwater Fishman kingdom, causing the duo to freak out.

"Lunchtime!" Luffy shouted while dragging his enormous backpack filled with food that he brought into the middle, "Those girls from Amazon Lily have packed food for me. And since Sanji is sick I say we have a picnic!"

Luffy announced, then at the same moment he realized something and started turning his head to all sides, causing Nami to ask.

"Something wrong, Luffy?"

"Where's Naruto?"

The Straw Hats turned around to see that the blond young man had disappeared from the deck, making them feel more comfortable. This prompted Zoro to bring up the topic that was on his mind.

"Okay, now is the time we need to discuss this." Zoro began, turning to his captain, "Luffy, mind explaining why the Cunning Fox is on our ship?"

The mention of that name caused some of the Straw Hats, excluding a still recovering Sanji, to ring bells into their heads before they reacted in the calmest way possible…

"NO WAY!" Usopp shouted with his eyes nearly out of the sockets, "THE CUNNING FOX?!"

The reaction that Usopp gave managed to confuse Brook and Chopper, who looked around, seeing the other crewmates had neutral or stunned looks on their faces but not to the same surprise as Usopp.

"I'm sorry, but I believe that I'm out of the loop here," Brook asked around, "Who is this Cunning Fox?"

"Yeah…I'm also confused," Chopper joined in, "Is he kind of a big shot?"

While Usopp was cackling and struggling to utter a word for the moment, Nami raised her eyebrow at the duo, "Seriously? You guys haven't heard of him? Of what he did in last ten years?"

"Well to my defense, I was on a ship without being able to read the news much." Brook spoke so, his isolation from the outside world, "I heard this individual was in Marineford, but the last ten years? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah…me too," Chopper raised his hove and added, "Doctorine read all the newspapers and didn't tell me much, why? Is he a big shot?"

"Because he's a legend from the Elemental War…" Franky said, looking surprised still but he continued, "That man was an officer of the Alabasta Foreign Legion, he's a big-time enemy of the World Government."

Chopper was surprised by this, "How so? And what's this war you're talking about?"

"Jeez, you need to catch up on the stories, little man." Franky said to the doctor, turning to Robin, "Mind filling in on the doc?"

"Sure," Robin smiled as she pulled a book from her bag and tapped to the seat next to her, "Come here, Chopper, Brook."

Chopper and Brook did so and walked over to the historian while Zoro and Nami walked past the still-struggling Usopp to get to their captain.

"Okay Luffy, tell us why he's on our ship with his men," Zoro asked with his arms crossed over his chest, "You know him?"

"Sure I know him…he helped me," Luffy said before pulling out something from underneath his hat, showing it to be a small book, surprising both the navigator and swordsman.

"Is that…a book?"

Luffy did not respond as he opened it and went to a page turned to, before showing them what was inside it.

It was a picture of Naruto and several Legionnaires, which included a uniformed and cap-wearing Ace standing among the men with him wearing a Lieutenant insignia, in front of the gates of a large village.

"Wait..that's your brother Ace." Nami said taking the picture and examining it, "Was he-"

"He and Naruto were friends." Zoro glanced at the picture, before turning to his captain, "Did he also try to save your brother?"

"...They were close," Luffy replied, a bit somber in his voice, but a smile appeared as he watched Nami go through a few pages, watching at the many pictures and writings his brother had made in his years.

He reached his hand there and then went a few pages back and there another picture was for them to see, one with Ace in the middle of a group of a hundred men that were part of a group photo, including some familiar faces whom they just saw.

"That's Fritz and that sniper guy, all part of Ace's new group."

Nami read the name and was surprised to read it.

"The 3rd Firefly Company."

Inside the cabin

With all the weaponry left on the table from the Maxin machine gun to the bolt action rifles and the heavy sniper, next to that and all the ammunition and equipment laid also the map the four men of the Legion were looking at, it was a detailed one of all the islands and locations of the New World.

Despite the doctor's orders not to drink, Luca took a swig from Naruto's flask he gave it back to the blond, noticing it was already half empty, he turned to his second-in-command,

"Okay Foster, give a sitrep."

"Right," Foster pulls out a small letter he opened and puts it on the table, "this was the latest report from the lads in Fishmen Island. They're all there except for our pilots and some of our forward units like Haku and Shikamaru and Chōji."

"Big man didn't want to stay at Fishman Island?"

"He wanted to, but Shikamaru didn't. And he feared he'd empty his wallet while being there," Foster said, "The Point is, they're already ahead of us and are flying between Dressrosa and Punk Hazard."

"Punk Hazard?" Reiser asked, "Isn't that where those Marines fought?"

"Yes, and it's a very difficult place to fly to now these days thanks to them, but they managed to build a makeshift airfield at one side on a bay, with them keeping an eye on the activities there."

Luca was the next to ask, "What kind of activities?"

"A recon team confirmed that at least a dozen ships have been spotted there and carried chemicals, weapons, and machinery."

Naruto asked, "Who's running this operation?"

"Caesar Clown."

The three men turned to Foster with scowls on their faces.

"Am I hearing it clear? That insane scientist?"

"Yes, that scientist who else?"

Naruto broke the tension, "What else do you get?"

"Okay, so we know that Caesar is now using a building inside the mountains as his laboratory. He's essentially living in there, and because of the island's climate, no one has ever considered that anyone would go back there." Foster laid out the blueprints of PH-006. He pointed out that each room in the building is coded with letters to indicate its importance and function.

"Place is like a fortress, with whatever he produces there from weapons to chemicals."

"I don't get it. How come the Navy hasn't found out yet?"

"Because he's under someone's protection." Foster shoved another picture and held his hand over them, "A Rear Admiral to be exact…"

Another picture showed a man wearing dark-tinted sunglasses and a Marine uniform, with a utensil on his face.

"'Demon Bamboo' Vergo."

"I remember him…pain in the ass." Reiser said with a clear glare looking at the picture, "He was in Tonika Village, forcing people back into the frontlines despite when they were collapsing."

"The press loved him."

"Yeah, and so does everyone who wished to have him on their iron sights." Reiser cleared before asking, "So when will we leave for Punk Hazard?"

Naruto took a moment to look at all the information and quickly made his decision.

"Once we arrive at Fishman Island, tell Shikamaru to halt any recon missions and wait at Dressrosa so they're not freezing their asses out there, I've got some personal stuff to handle here before we start our operations." Naruto said as he told Foster further, "The moment we arrive we'll get the men ready to supply everything, vacation gonna be over."

"Aw, come on, we haven't had fun." Reiser pleaded with Luca joining in, "We'd like to have a day with some of those Mermaid women."

"I mean, I hate to disagree, captain, but it is only fair for these bozos." Foster joined in with the two, "A day or two cannot hurt."

Naruto looked at the three men and he sighed knowing that they wouldn't stop about it if he refused.

"Alright, we'll make it three days or so. But not more."

Luca and Reiser clapped hands while Foster looked forward to having some drinks there as they were all looking forward to it.

"Now you two can get out, Foster stay here and help me clean this up."

"Using Reiser's arm for support, Luca and Reiser left the kitchen and headed for the door. They left their weapons on the table, while Naruto and Foster scrolled through all the intel before packing it back into the backpacks.

"Say, Foster."

"Yes sir."

"Why didn't you tell the guys that Ajisai was waiting for you on Fishman Island?" Naruto asked as he watched his friend pack up the intel. "I know she's there."

"Because I plan on having some alone time with her, that's why." Foster quickly responded, "I'm almost done packing, and I've got something exciting planned."

"Oh, and that is?"

"...That's a surprise but let's speak about something else, please," Foster said before turning around, "It is about Haku I want to talk about, remember That blue-haired lad?"

"Which one? We've got one on deck," Naruto asked.

"Chōjūrō, he's also there."

Flashback

1516

Land of Waves

"GET DOWN!"

With a large and deadly blade going for them, the first team barely hit the ground on time as it went through the wind and nearly cut them in half, with Naruto and Chōjūrō being the exception and jumping out of the way.

*CLINK!*

It was Naruto who blocked the large blade with his own Tantō, turning it away and having it struck into a tree him landing back in front of the others of the team.

"Captain!"

"We're alright!" Bishop said getting up on his feet with his gun out, he ordered, "Defensive positions!"

Vic and Gin did not take long to aim their weapons, but Foster was the one who wasn't getting up.

"Jack, get up!"

"I-I can't!"

Gin turned to see the young radio operator still lying on the floor, with him shouting.

"Get up!"

"I can't-Ahhh!" Foster cried in pain, unable to even move his legs for now.

"Vic!" Bishop yelled, "Check on him!"

"Right!"

"Protect the bridge builder!"

While Chōjūrō's team quickly took the position, surrounding Tazuna, Gin, and Vic went to the sides of the radio operator Foster who was on the ground, noticing blood on him.

"Foster got hit!"

Bishop demanded, "How bad?"

Gin tried to move him but got grunts and a roar in pain in return, "He's in bad shape!"

"Move him, now!" Turning to his captain, Naruto yelled, "Chōjūrō, order one of your men to cover their retreat with Tazuna. Tell Shizuka to bring reinforcements."

"R-Right." Chōjūrō agreed and turned to the others, "Liste-"

Just then something flew past the swordsman and the Legion officer, something sharp, metal, and burning that went straight for the ground behind them.

It was a kunai with a paper tag-

*BOOM!*

The explosion hit the center of the group with shouts of pain mixed with the ground exploding underneath them, some of the men were flung away, like Bishop and his men who were only a few meters away.

Bishop fell to the ground but quickly grabbed his hat and grabbed his Thompson machine gun, opening fire on whatever lay in front of him.

"Gin! Vic! Foster!"

"We're alright!" Gin got back up covered in dirt as he and Vic grabbed Foster by the shoulders and dragged him away, running past the body of the Kiri nin that was supposed to help them.

"Help me!"

Bishop goes where the bridge builder should be and discovers that he is buried beneath something. He rushes over to the man, takes his hand, and begins to pull him out of the muck.

"You alright?" Bishop asked while whipping the dirt off the old man's face, "Answer, let me help-"

"They're dead."

Bishop took a look at what Tazuna was pointing at, the pile of dirt wasn't dirt, instead, it was the bodies of the rest of the Kiri team, covered in earth and dirt, the explosion buried them, and the bridge builder happened to be buried underneath their corpses. And on those corpses were also sharp kunais drilled into them, meaning they were targeted specifically.

"Shit!" Bishop realized as he grabbed the man by his shirt and began running back, "Uzumaki! The Shinobi team is dead! I'm calling it in!"

"Alright!" Naruto responded, "Me and Chōjūrō will cover you!"

With Bishop and Tazuna leaving only the two sword-wielding young men standing there, waiting for whoever was there to make their next move.

However, a big fog of mist appeared from out of nowhere, and it surrounded the two men with their blades.

'This is not natural mist…'

'Mist technique, shinobi…watch yourself, Naruto.'

Naruto took his stance seriously and turned to Chōjūrō, who looked at him as they nodded before focusing back on the eventual confrontation.

"Ah, they're dead." One feminine voice spoke, sounding proud. "Hit them in the vitals, still got it."

"Now leaves only these two and that bunch guarding the bridge builder."

Hearing that, Naruto responded, "Not going to be that easy whoever you are."

Two figures dropped down to the ground from the trees, the mist was a problem for identifying who they were but their weapons were somehow visible enough, one carrying the large blade he pulled out from the tree, with the first blade looking like a bigger version of a butcher that has two cut-outs, a circle close to the top, and a semi-circular one nearer to the handle, while the other person was carrying an identical pair that look like Taiji swords that were thin, sharp looking but also were showing electricity coming out.

"Kubikiribōchō and Kiba…" Chōjūrō sounded hollow when he spotted those blades, "Those are blades from the Hidden Mist…"

"Well look who it is. Is that Chōjūrō?" The feminine voice chuckled as she nudged, "He's grown, huh, Zabuza? He's even carrying Hiramekarei with him still."

The male figure chuckled, "He has indeed, but not grown enough." He swung his giant blade over his shoulder and rested it on him,

The male figure appeared first: a muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was normally seen wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face, with his Shinobi headband sideways. The man appeared shirtless and wore baggy pants with only a belt covering his chest. He completed his look with mimetic wrist warmers reaching up to his elbows, complemented by coordinating leg warmers and sandals.

Next, a female appeared, who was shorter than her male counterpart. She had long, red hair, and black eyes, and wore a forehead protector with a cloth tied around her head. The cloth was distinctively tied at both sides, with the ends protruding upwards, while the rest of her hair flowed downwards. She wore a loose, pin-striped long-sleeved shirt with a dark obi around her waist, black pants that became much looser near the ends, resembling hakama, and striped leg-warmers. Like the other swordsmen of her generation, she had bandages loosely tied around her neck and jagged teeth.

The woman stepped out further and pointed her blade at the duo, electricity jumping out of it as she grinned toothily.

"Well, well, Chōjūrō. Mind introducing us to your new friend?" The woman said smiling at the young fellow swordsman, "I know he's no Shinobi but I can sense he's strong…"

Naruto glanced at the distraught Chōjūrō, seeing he was breathing hard at the sight of this woman he supposedly knew, perhaps a friend turned enemy or an old rival, but now was not thinking straight so he slapped him across the head.

"Hey-"

"No time to panic, not in front of them." Naruto said picking him up to stand back on their feet, he held his blade ready, "Stand on your feet, show them no weakness."

"Look at that, this one got some knowledge for an outsider." Then the male swordsman with the bandage mask walked up and chuckled, "What's your name, kid? You're different."

"Perhaps because I used to live around these parts, more eastwards but I don't like to go into details with the likes of you." Naruto said to them in a manner, "But I can pretty much guess who you two are."

"Ah, you've done your homework on us?" The woman asked nearly laughing, "Enlighten us."

Naruto shifted his gaze toward the red-haired woman, carefully examining her attire and the blades she carried, triggering a flood of memories.

"You're Ameyuri Ringo, former Jōnin of the Bloody Mist, one of the very few women who have ever joined the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Kiba twin swords, and you're known for not missing your prey at first strike. Orders should be extremely cautious around individuals like you, no offense."

Ameyuri chuckled at the young man's description of her, turning to her partner.

"He knows his stuff."

"And the man next to you must be Zabuza Momochi."

Zabuza turned his eyes to the blond, focused on his blade, the Tantō wielder who managed to stop his attack from cutting down the entire squad, he looked at the young man with some curiousness but also could see he was not showing any fear even when he knew his name and most likely his background.

"I see you know my name, kid," Zabuza responded, still leaning his blade over his shoulder, "So tell me, what else do you know?"

"That you're a man with over a hundred bodies on his name before you even entered the academy, by killing all the students in the now defunct graduation exam, that you're a specialist in the mist technique of Silent Killing, former ANBU, and also how you attempted a coup against the Fourth Mizukage before being forced to flee into exile. I know a lot about you - Demon of the Hidden Mist."

*!*

A series of explosions reverberated for miles, resembling thunder. It was the artillery barrage targeting their exact location with one being followed by more.

Ameyuri looked up and wondered, "What is that?"

"That's my queue to leave, see you next time!" Naruto said before reaching for something in his back pocket and throwing it in the middle before grabbing his friend by the collar, "Chōjūrō!"

"Lieutenant UZumaki sir, I-"

"LET'S MOVE!"

Naruto yanked his friend away as two flare grenades fell to the middle, ignited off showing red smoke, the two ran for the forest behind them, Ameyuri was less satisfied by this sudden move.

"You little shits!" She was about to take after them, "Come fight like men!"

Naruto and Chōjūrō were quick to move as the first shells impacted the ground…

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

Each shell seemed to follow them as the ground behind them exploded into fire and debris. The surrounding treeline vanished into the inferno as more shells added to the destruction.

"W-What's going on!?"

"Danger Close! Now keep moving!" Naruto said dragging the swordsman with him while he got partly covered in dirt, running as fast as he could. "The barrage's covering our escape!"

More shells landed right behind them as Naruto and the Kiri Nin reached the ends of the forest and saw the lake, just then when another shell could be heard nearing them, the whistling was dangerously close…

*BOOM!*

They both jumped in the water before a shell landed right behind them, both diving underwater for the certainty they wouldn't get hurt.

In the cold water with all their equipment, the two young men escaped death once again.

Flashback ends

Naruto opened his eyes and gazed through the small oval window at the endless expanse of dark blue ocean water. The sight of it calmed the blond young man. He watched the same mangrove roots of the trees that the ship was passing by, remembering that they were the same ones he saw decades ago when he was a young child going for the first time to the place he called home - his first home if he was honest with himself.

'You're scared.'

'What?'

'Don't kid yourself, Naruto. I can read you like a book, your emotions are showing it and every moment you're silently thinking about it, you're scared to see your people down below in the kingdom.'

'...I haven't spoken to them in years now…'

'And now it's time to speak with them again, as you should - they're also your family.'

'Family who have not spoken to for years now…'

'And they will listen to you…for what you've done for them.'

Knowing the fox was right, Naruto's hands clenched into fists. Just as he felt something and noticed the bandages on his right arm were coming loose around his wrist and forearm, some of them shredded and rendered useless.

"Ah, crap,"

"Hold on, I'll get some more bandages, sir," Foster said as he went out of the room to get some new ones, leaving Naruto to slowly remove the old bandages from his prosthetic arm, something he regularly had to do from time to time. Flinching as it was still a painful experience he could hear the door open again.

"You're hurt…"

The voice got Naruto to realize it wasn't Foster who had reentered the room so he turned his head around to see who it was, standing there with a new packet of bandages and a small bucket of water in her arms, it was Nico Robin who was there as she walked over to him in her heels, slowly approaching him as she took her time to sit down next to him and took a close look at the right arm that she saw was not his original…

"Allow me."

Naruto did not protest Robin's words as he watched her remove his coat and jacket slowly from him she proceeded to then roll up the sleeves of his shirt, showing that the forearm just needed fresh bandages, but the shoulder that was still intact was showing signs of blood soaking the cotton dressings.

Taking the initiative, Robin began pulling off all the bandages slowly as she was allowed to do so by Naruto who watched her slowly do his handicap and removed the prosthetic arm before placing it on the table, leaving most of the bandages on the artificial arm before focusing on cleaning the shoulder and whipping the blood off with a small wet sponge and begins cleaning it.

"The pressure must have caused it."

"Well, the thing is new and I'm still getting used to it." Naruto bit his lip and grunted, "Also, going through a chaotic scene does that to the damn thing-Ah!" Robin pressed the sponge into a point of Naruto's shoulder, shutting him up.

"Does that hurt?"

"A…bit…"

"Good, because you're going to take it easy for now, mister." Robin pointed her free hand at him, setting up some grand rules, "Because if you're going to sail with us from now on, I'll be sure to be your chaperone."

Naruto chuckled, "What are we? Kids?"

A finger underneath Naruto's chin redirected his head to face Robin, and seeing both her hands were busy tending to his shoulder, meaning one of her 'extra hands' was doing so she could talk to him face to face.

"No, but it's obvious that out of all of my crewmates, I'm the one who actually can keep an eye on you."

"Sounds more like you're keeping me on a leash."

Robin's smiled, "Do you prefer that?"

Naruto shook his head at her and could see her placing her hand on his lap and she moved it slightly up to his thigh, seeing where she wanted to go now.

"Honestly…you women are going to be the death of me…"

"Says the man with the actual tools to do that…" Robin remarked with half-closed eyes and a chuckle, "And I'm not talking about that six-shooter in that holster of yours…"

With a surge of courage, Robin leaned in and pressed her lips against Naruto's, the warmth and softness of their connection sending shivers down her spine. As they kissed, she dropped the sponge into the bucket, temporarily abandoning their task of cleansing his wound. At that moment, as they stood in the middle of the cantine with others just a closed door away, they both hoped for some uninterrupted time together. The air around them seemed to crackle with electricity, the scent of cleaning solution mixing with their unique scents. They were lost in each other, their worlds melting away as they poured all their pent-up feelings into this one kiss.

With a mischievous smirk, Naruto reached out with one hand and grabbed Robin's blue navy jacket. His fingers trailed down the fabric until they reached her right breast, which he began to fondle playfully. A small giggle escaped from her lips as she squirmed under his touch.

"You certainly haven't been idle," Robin remarked with a wry smile. "Those Kuja women must have been treating you well."

Naruto chuckled and pulled her closer, his amusement evident in his eyes. Despite the teasing, there was an underlying sense of comfort and familiarity between them. They had been apart for too long now, and their playful banter was another reminder of their strong bond.

A bond that needed some good strengthening.

As Naruto and Robin's lips met once again, their bodies pressed together in a passionate embrace. Little did they know that the door, carelessly left open by the black-haired archeologist, had a pair of keen eyes trained on them.

It was Nami, the navigator of the crew, who watched as her friend and crewmate indulged in a heated makeout session with the blond soldier she had known since childhood.

The sight was unexpected but also stirred up emotions within her, evident by the faint blush on her cheeks as she continued to observe.

Observe…

"YOU'RE HEROES!"

On the deck, Usopp who had finally come back to his senses had just shouted in admiration to the three Legionarre men who looked at him with confusion, with Luca seen sitting on a barrel with his arm in a sling and Reiser trying to light up a cigarette while Foster as trying to calm him down. All the while the other Straw Hats were eating around the wooden table with all of Luffy's prepared meals left on it, with Chopper seen tending to the perverted cook with IV bags attached to him.

"Take it easy, lad, you're going to pass out as your friend over there."

"BUT YOU GUYS ARE HEROES! I've read everything that I could about you guys!" Usopp said while bringing up some stories, "Like how you guys fought the Second Battle of Kannabi Bridge! The Airplane fights! The daring raids against fortresses! You guys are like the warriors I've dreamed of!"

Kind of taken aback by the fanboyism of this boy, Luca, and Foster decided to not say anything until he'd calmed down while Reiser was getting frustrated by the fact his lighter wasn't going off.

"Ughh…what's going on?" Sanji began as he slowly rose after awakening, "What's happening?"

"Good, you're awake," Reiser said walking over and kneeling to the cook with an unlit cigarette, "Heard you were the smoker of this group, might wanna light this up?"

Sanji reached into his pocket, feeling the smooth metal of his golden lighter against his fingers. In one fluid motion, he flicked it open and lit Reiser's cigarette as a gesture of courtesy. As Fritz helped him to his feet, Sanji observed his crew interacting casually with the uniformed men but also noticed that a few familiar faces were absent from the group.

"Where are Nami and Robin?"

Reiser blew out his smoke and answered, "They're in the kitchen, saw your navigator going there last," Turning to his friend, "Foster here saw her go there, right Jackie boy?"

"Shut up," Foster hated the nickname and confirmed it, "Yeah I saw her walk in, Robin told me to take a break and told me she wanted to talk to him in private."

"Wait, Nami and Robin are with some stranger-"

"Wait, you sounded like you know Robin," he interjected, interrupting the man's mid-chivalrous rant. "You know her?"

Foster nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Sure, we know Nico Robin," he confirmed to the skeleton Straw Hat member. "For a long time, I can say." He leaned against the wooden railing of the ship, lost in thought for a moment before continuing. "We first met her back in the Land of Waves, when I and Naruto were both under the command of Captain Frederick Bishop. It was when I was just a lowly grunt and Naruto held the rank of First Lieutenant."

"Land of Waves? That's almost eight years ago," Franky did the quick maths as he went to realize, "Wait, are you saying Robin was in the middle of the Elemental War?"

In the background, a ship was seen submerging closer to the Thousand Sunny from a considerable distance away, being dragged into the deep ocean by an enormous creature picking up speed.

Unbeknownst to the looming danger, a colossal white whale glides by the Thousand Sunny. Luffy's gaze happens to catch sight of the massive mammal and Brook remarks how it resembles Laboon, yet another name pops into Luffy's mind.

"Whitebeard..."

Visions of the catastrophic Marineford War flood Luffy's mind, nearly causing him to drop his food. The memories claw at his consciousness, building up images from that fateful day and threatening to overwhelm him.

"Hey, kid!"

Luffy's trance was interrupted by Reiser who pushed his shoulder, perhaps the man heard him mention the old man's name and he intervened.

"Here," He threw him a flask, "Drink a bit from it."

Luffy caught it and noticed it was half empty before opening it and taking a swig from it, and yet again began coughing at the strong taste it had that he wasn't used to.

"Too strong!"

Zoro was curious, "Really?" He stretched his hand out, "Let me try."

Luffy did give the flask to the swordsman who smelled it first before taking a swig of it even when it contained very little, Luffy still was coughing a bit before turning to his friend.

"Jeez, what was in it?"

"Don't ask me, it's Naruto's flask, I just stole it." Fritz pointed, "Actually Luca stole it while he wasn't looking."

"Fuck you-"

"Back to topic, how do you guys know Robin so well?" Sanji reiterated the question before turning to his captain, "Luffy?"

"Huh? Oh, well they knew her - yes." Luffy said pointing at his brother's book on the table, "Robin was there and even knew Ace."

Usopp asked, "How come you just bring this up now?"

"You didn't ask." Luffy responded calmly, "If you want to know more - ask Robin."

"Speaking of Robin," Brook spoke while drinking his tea, "She and Nami are taking their time with our guest."

Sanji yelled, "DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"

Inside the dining room

(Lemon)

"Ah~"

"Uh~"

"Yes!~"

Nami could only choke on whatever words were stuck in her throat as her breath quivered in the view she was seeing.

*CLAP!~CLAP!~CLAP!~*

Naruto's tanned, muscular form moves in a rhythm with his pants down his knees as he is busy doing Robin's pale curves with her navy jacket unzipped, releasing her J-cup cleavage that was bouncing up and down. Naruto's fingers tangled in Nico Robin's raven hair as he pressed her against the rough wooden surface of the table. Their skin glistened with sweat, and their ragged breaths mingled in the still air of the room. With her sarong skirt set aside - both were breathing and moaning together, with the steady slap of flesh on flesh that was erotic to hear, but also to see.

Their lips meet in a desperate kiss, tongues dueling as they explore every inch of each other's mouths once again with Naruto taking the initiative with his hand palming Nico's to the wood, giving into their primal lust, leaving nothing but heaving bodies and echoing moans in their wake.

"Ahh!"

Their lips were still touching, connected by a delicate thread of saliva when Naruto and Robin finally broke away from their deep, passionate kiss. Both of them were breathing heavily, their faces flushed with a mix of fatigue and powerful feelings - a flood of relief and love emanating from their every pore.

Robin let out a small laugh to cover up her embarrassment as she attempted to brush away a stray lock of hair that clung to her forehead. But Naruto beat her to it, gently tucking it behind her ear as he stared into her bright blue eyes with his own, savoring this long-awaited moment.

"You've grown," he remarked, his chest pressing against hers as he couldn't help but notice how much she had changed over the years. "Beautifully."

Naruto's words caused a warm blush to spread across Robin's cheeks as she leaned into him. "It still feels incredible to be with you after all this time."

"Like the first time?" Naruto asked playfully, their shared memories flooding back.

"No, our first time," Robin corrected with a mischievous grin, reminding him that they had both lost their virginity to each other on that fateful day so long ago - a fact that Nami couldn't tear her eyes away from as she watched from the doorway.

"Well, I'll need some practice," Robin confessed with a hint of shyness. "This is only my second time."

Naruto was surprised by this revelation. "Is that so?"

Instead of giving him a straight answer, Robin took charge and turned him around until he was lying on the table. She moved with grace and confidence, straddling him in the cowgirl position with her long dark hair cascading down her back. As she looked down at him, Nami couldn't help but feel drawn in by the raw sensuality of the scene unfolding before her.

"Even if I were to find someone else," Robin whispered seductively in Naruto's ear, "they wouldn't be able to satisfy me emotionally or physically as you do."

"Even if you want to be with someone like me-"

"Pssssh…"

Robin laid her finger on Naruto's lips, and she did it so he would listen to her as she grabbed his left arm and placed it over the middle of her chest, "Everything I know, all those you care for…all those you fought for…I do not mind sharing you…"

Naruto asked it still to be certain, "Are you sure?"

"No doubt about it - now here!"

Naruto gasped for air as he found himself forced to be buried in Robin's breasts, overwhelmed by the softness enveloping him as she held his head there. Robin's hips continue their relentless rhythm, her thighs gripping his sides, with her firm bottom slapping down and up alone making him more aroused.

The wooden table creaks beneath them with each movement. Robin runs her fingers through Naruto's hair, tugging gently as waves of pleasure wash over her. Their bodies move together in perfect synchronization, building towards a shared climax they were now reaching closely by now.

"I'm close~"

"M-Me too.."

Both continued to thrust into one another, Naruto's rod into Robin's pussy as they both were reaching their final point in this quickie that was passionate, but if they continued on they might break the table anytime soon, so a few more hard thrusts were made before-

"CUMMING!" Naruto/Robin said at the same time.

They collapsed together, panting heavily. Naruto's strong arm encircled Robin's waist as she rested her head on his chest. Their heartbeats gradually slowed as they basked in the afterglow. Robin's raven hair spilled across Naruto's tanned skin, a striking contrast. They lay quietly for several moments, enjoying the peaceful intimacy. Finally, Robin lifted her head and gazed into Naruto's bright blue eyes with a tender smile. He grinned back, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

Naruto's gasps and pants echoed through the dining room as he collapsed onto the bed, his body trembling with exhaustion. "Ah crap, I just...came inside..." he managed to say between breaths.

"Don't worry," Robin replied, equally spent from their passionate encounter. "I'm on the pill."

"That's good...That's good," Naruto replied, relieved.

As they lay there catching their breath, Robin's eyes fluttered to the open door, seeing Nami wasn't there anymore. Meaning she left the scene.

A small smile grew on Robin's face as she turned to her intimate lover and raised his head to make eye contact.

"Let's clean ourselves up."

(Lemon ends)

After cleaning themselves up with a sponge and a bucket of water and having reattached his arm, Naruto and Robin were getting dressed. Robin was trying to put her skirt back on while Naruto was buttoning up his shirt. The smell of their activity had mostly been rubbed off, but both knew to keep their distance from the others if they didn't want their sweat patterns to be noticed.

*CRASH!*

The two did however notice the ship was wobbling back and forth for a while, not knowing what it was, they were going to check it out by now just as the ruckus seemed to have ended.

"I wonder what is going on." Naruto asked finishing his shirt and turning to Robin, "Your crew always this rowdy?"

"They are, but that's the fun part at times." Robin said finished herself, smiling at him, "I think they just handled it by now."

"Let's go see it for ourselves then, shall we?" Naruto said offering his hand to her, she accepted it elegantly and the two lovers walked out of the room, even opening the door for her."

"Thank you."

"After you." Naruto gestured as he allowed her to go through the door first, with Robin giving a small sway of her hips in that skirt of hers as a little tease before he closed the door, leaving a clean dining room.

So long nobody took notice at the table.

While Sanji, who yet again was unconscious after seeing his navigator again, with Chopper and Brook trying to rehabilitate him with pictures of the women, Luffy was busy talking to Usopp about a faster way to travel, while Zoro and Franky trying to keep course.

Now on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, alone without his crew, Caribou was tied up and taken prisoner, it is the least of his worries as he was also gagged with a wet cloth in his mouth, but he was frightened by those who were guarding him.

Luca and Reiser both were looking at him with disgust with Foster just finishing to tie an extra knot to his restraints, the smoking Fritz blew some smoke into his face as he was the most clear person who hated the long-tongued bastard.

"The things I would've done to you if we weren't on this ship…" Reiser said pulling out a small knife and showing it, "I'd be cutting that tongue of yours off right now."

Screaming through the gag in fear, Caribou tried calling for help but got his head covered in a bag by Luca as the two began dragging the prisoner away from the deck, with Foster walking over to Nami who was watching from a distance.

Nami who now was wearing a coat given the cold temperature, was not buying it and looked at the struggling prisoner who was being dragged away by the two other passengers, seeing that they were up to something, she then spotted them open the door that led to the cabin, just as the other door next to them opened and saw Naruto and Robin walking out, wearing Naruto's coat, looking around and seeing nobody noticed their lack of presence for the short time they were away.

Nami knew why and made sure to suppress her cheeks and turned to her crewmates who hadn't noticed at all, but then she saw the two walk up to them.

"What happened?"

Nami answered, "Some pirates tried to board us but their idiot captain got cocky and entered alone, so we got a prisoner now. Name's Caribou from what he claims."

Robin sounded surprised, "Wet Haired Caribou?"

"Yeah, supposedly." Nami said before turning to Naruto, "Mind telling your men…."

Naruto was already walking over to his men and the captive, who spotted Naruto and was looking bleak at the sight of the blond, who then grabbed him by the throat turned to his men, and nodded before they disappeared through the open door, leading them back inside the ship.

"...Robin," Nami asked her friend, "Do you know perhaps why they're taking him away?"

Robin gazed at her female crewmate and saw her uneasiness, so she could only answer by saying.

"Let's say - they have history."

Thrown inside what looked like the men's quarter room, Caribou was thrown to the floor with the four men following up and encircling him, with them only armed with some combat knives, which was just enough to scare the pirate captain as he began pleading and begging through the gag.

"Shut your mouth, you snake." Reiser said, kicking Caribou in the side and causing the pirate to scream in pain, "You're lucky we're not killing you now, after that stunt of yours we're taking it easy on you for now."

Luca even spat on the pirate with Foster looking at his captain as he walked up close to Caribou, kneeling to his level and grabbing him by the neck, but asking his men what had just happened.

In vivid detail, they recounted the events of how Caribou's crew had managed to board the Sunny. The air crackled with tension as they described how the pirates had tried to enter en masse, fueled by Caribou's promise of a bloodbath. But their plans were short-circuited when they were forced to abandon their captain, leaving him alone on the ship as the giant sea cow that had been dragging Caribou's vessel suddenly took off on its own.

"Pathetic," Reiser snorted, cracking his fists in anticipation of possible interrogation. "Allow me to beat some answers out of this guy. We need to know everything he's been up to." His eyes glinted with determination as he prepared to extract information from the stranded pirate, who was now begging for mercy as he realized his situation was hopeless.

The atmosphere was tense and charged with intensity as if any moment could erupt into violence. For Caribou was no stranger to these men, and he knew they weren't going to be as merciful as the Straw Hats had been.

*CRASH!*

Before their interrogation could even start, the ship began to shake violently again, rough as if they were inside a storm, the men inside the room barely could keep their footing before all five of them fell to the floor.

"What now?!"

"OCTOPUS!" Usopp was heard yelling even through the thick walls of the ship, "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

This prompted Caribou to then react and begin standing up and trying to run for the door.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

The pirate, with a wild look in his eye charged towards the group of men. They quickly formed a defensive line and they stopped him in his tracks. The force caused him to stumble backward and collide with a nearby wall. In the chaos, one of the barrels behind him loosened and struck Naruto on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Get him under control!" Luca barked, as the other men began to punch and restrain the rebellious Caribou. Foster rushed to help Naruto but was pulled back by Luca who locked his arms around the pirate's neck in a chokehold.

Naruto's vision faded as he fell into unconsciousness.

Alright, hopefully, this little scene is to the liking of you all, and now I am done with this chapter.

Enjoy and know I'll be working on more stories now that I have some partners helping me write this.

Please leave a comment/Review down below and let's get that 2K followers.

Peace!